Renewing Old Ties
by Samantha20
Summary: Buffy finds a baby being abandoned by a vampire, doing the right thing she takes him home, not knowing how the baby will change her life.
1. Chapter 1

Another new one!!!  
  
Geez, I'm just churning them out lately!!!!!!  
  
Read and review. I'll update faster (I promise)!!!!!!!!!!!11  
  
Part 1.  
  
Buffy sighed as she cradled the baby in her arms. She'd seen a lot of horrible things in her life, but a woman abandoning a baby, even though she was a vampire was one of the worst.  
  
She smiled down at him. She hadn't checked, but the blue blanket, hat and jumpsuit all pointed towards the baby being a boy.  
  
She wondered why he'd been abandoned, and how the vampire, scratch that, former-now-a-pile-of-dust-vampire had gotten hold of the baby.  
  
Carefully she ran her fingers over his sleeping face. She had dim memories of Dawn being a baby, but in those memories Dawn had never been this small.  
  
She scooped up her slayer's bag, and the basket full of baby things that had been left with him.  
  
Delicately balancing everything on her right side, she cuddled the baby close to keep him warm.  
  
It was time to head home.  
  
******  
  
When she entered her front door she dropped everything in the hall, exactly where Dawn, Willow and Tara were always telling her not to leave things.  
  
She smiled and sat down on the couch, counting. One, two, three, four...  
  
"Buffy what's all your stuff doing in the hall again? And what's this basket here for?" Willow, Tara and Dawn entered the room, Tara carrying the basket.  
  
Buffy immediately shushed them all, gesturing to the sleeping baby.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Dawn asked, wide eyed.  
  
"I found him, he was in the process of being abandoned by a vampire."  
  
"Don't you mean eaten?" Tara asked.  
  
Buffy shook her head. "He's beautiful isn't he?"  
  
"How do you know it's a boy?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Who'd dress a girl all in blue? Besides he looks like a boy." Buffy answered.  
  
The baby stirred in her arms and began to cry. Buffy stood up and began to bounce him a little as she walked. His cries quieted until they became whimpers.  
  
Willow looked at her in amazement. "Where did you learn to do that?"  
  
"I was around when Dawn was a baby, you know. Plus I have two little god- daughters." she answered. "I didn't know that." Willow replied, "What are their names?"  
  
"Kahlahni and Isabella." Buffy answered.  
  
Carefully Buffy carried him upstairs and laid him on her bed. He didn't wake even as she left the room. The other were silent she moved her slayer bag and walked back into the lounge room.  
  
Willow had her laptop out on the coffee table. "There's no reports of missing babies in California. Boys or girls. There's not even any reports of missing infants in any of the neighboring states."  
  
Buffy looked at her in surprise. "But he's so beautiful and perfect. How could his parents not be missing him?"  
  
Tara perched herself on the edge of the couch. "You said a vampire was abandoning him. If he was kidnapped by vampires his parents might not be able to go to the police."  
  
They sat in silence, considering this.  
  
Buffy yawned widely. "I think I'm gonna head up to bed. I'll get the crib out of the attic tomorrow." With that she picked up the baby's basket and practically danced upstairs.  
  
Willow, Tara and Dawn just watched her.  
  
"Was it just me or did she just..." Dawn began.  
  
"Look happy? Yeah, I noticed that too." Willow finished for her.  
  
They sat in silence a while longer.  
  
The next morning Buffy woke up early. The baby had been a dream throughout the night. He'd only woken once with a wet diaper, wanting to be fed. She'd fed and changed him, now she was sure he was a boy, and then cuddled him back off to sleep.  
  
She was already sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee when everyone else plodded down the stairs.  
  
Willow and Tara smiled gratefully as she poured them both cups of herbal tea. While she did Dawn took a few sips of her coffee. "What's everyone doing today?" she asked in a cheery voice.  
  
All three looked taken aback at her happy, carefree tone.  
  
"I have a chem test today, and my English paper is due. I finished it last night." Dawn chirped, matching Buffy's tone.  
  
"College." Willow and Tara both moaned.  
  
Buffy smiled. "It's not that bad."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Willow asked, sounding more awake than she had.  
  
"I'm just going to spend the day here with Conner. I might even take him to the park later." Buffy answered.  
  
"Conner?" Dawn asked.  
  
"He needs a name. We can't just call him baby can we?" she answered defensively. "When his mom and dad show up they can tell us his real name."  
  
"You mean we're not handing him over to the police?" Willow asked, concerned.  
  
"We can't. What if Tara's right and they can't go to the police. They'll never get him back. Tonight I'll ask Willy if he knows anything, and I'll keep asking around until we find his parents. Besides, he's safer here, with me than he would be anywhere the police put him." Buffy answered.  
  
Willow relented. "You're right. Be careful."  
  
A horn honked outside. Dawn picked up her bag and reached over to kiss Buffy. "That's Xander." Buffy handed her two pieces of toast on a napkin. "Have fun."  
  
Willow and Tara trooped out the door a little later on, leaving Buffy alone in the house with Conner.  
  
She smiled, the house was rarely this peaceful.  
  
Upon re-entering her bedroom, Buffy discovered Conner, wide awake babbling away in his unintelligible baby talk. She smiled and scooped him up, carrying him downstairs to give him another bottle.  
  
He really seemed to like the formula she'd found in the basket. Afterwards she changed his diaper again, and dressed him in a clean jumpsuit, this one navy blue.  
  
Then she carried him back upstairs laying him on her bed, carefully arranging pillows so that he couldn't roll off.  
  
Then she went up to the attic and began looking for the crib she knew was up there.  
  
She dragged it down into her bedroom and removed the dust cover. Still as good as new.  
  
She threw a glance at Conner, who had drifted off to sleep once more, before returning to the attic to find sheets for the crib, among other things.  
  
By the time everyone came home Buffy had set the crib up, taken Conner for a walk to the park, and given him a bath.  
  
Everyone was shocked at the change in her. It was like she no longer begrudged living. Like taking care of Conner had given her a purpose again. And they were all grateful for that, but in the back of Giles' mind when he came around for Slayer training that afternoon, an errant thought persisted. 'What happens when Conner's parents claim him?' 


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2.  
  
In LA.  
  
Angel just stared at the empty crib. He'd been staring at it for days.  
  
Conner was gone, missing, kidnapped, and he had been powerless to protect him.  
  
Tears flowed down his cheeks, unchecked. Angel had lost count of how many times he had felt the tears.  
  
But he didn't care. It didn't matter. His son mattered, and he was missing.  
  
Cordelia and Lorne watched from the doorway, feeling guilty at watching his unbridled display of emotion, yet unwilling to leave him alone in his suffering.  
  
Her heart bled for him, she knew how much he loved his son. She loved his son.  
  
And like him, she couldn't believe that Conner was gone.  
  
Silently she took hold of Lorne's hand and dragged him away from the door.  
  
In the foyer Gunn and Fred sat silently, comforting each other. They both stood up when Cordy and Lorne entered.  
  
"We have to do something about him." Cordelia announced.  
  
"I don't know where else we can look for Conner." Fred said to her sadly.  
  
"I've never seen him so unhappy." Cordy confided, "Not even back in Sunnydale when he got his soul back. It's like he's lost."  
  
Lorne nodded. "I don't even have to read him to know how unhappy he is."  
  
"So what do we about it?" Gunn asked.  
  
Cordelia sank down into a chair. "I can only think of two things. One is to find Conner and bring him home." she stopped.  
  
"And the other?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Take him to Sunnydale. Maybe Buffy can snap him out of it." she answered.  
  
"You think that'll work?" Fred asked.  
  
"If it doesn't I'm all out of ideas." Cordy replied.  
  
"Lorne and I will get him ready to leave." Gunn volunteered.  
  
"Just tell him we're taking a trip. Don't say where we're going." Cordelia instructed. "I'm going across town to pack some clothes, Gunn you'll need some too. When I get back we'll go."  
  
Within the hour they were on their way to Sunnydale.  
  
**********  
  
Gently Buffy laid Conner down in his crib. He curled up sucking his thumb into his mouth. Then he became still. She smiled, he was so peaceful.  
  
Dawn found her standing there. She slipped her arms around her sister's waist. "You really love him don't you?" Buffy nodded, saying nothing. She pulled Dawn into her arms and her held her tight. "I love you. You know that, right? I know I've been kind of spacey lately, but that doesn't mean I love you any less."  
  
Dawn held on tightly, this was like having the old Buffy back. She just hoped that the old Buffy was back to stay. They stayed there like that until Willow called them both downstairs for dinner.  
  
**********  
  
It was early in the evening when Cordy, Angel, Gunn and Fred arrived in Sunnydale.  
  
"What are we doing here?" Angel asked, confused.  
  
Cordelia captured one of his hands in her own. "We're taking a break. Lorne and Kate are keeping an eye out for Conner in LA."  
  
Angel nodded silently. "I'll have to go and see Buffy. She'll get mad at me if I don't."  
  
"That's why we're here." Cordelia told him. "We're going to see Buffy right now."  
  
A few seconds later they pulled into the Summers' driveway.  
  
Angel paused before getting out of the car. He was silent as they walked up the front path and up onto the porch.  
  
Cordelia rang the bell. 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3.  
  
As they were finishing up the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it." Buffy called, making her way to the front door.  
  
She was more than shocked to see Cordelia, Angel and two other people she didn't know standing on the porch.  
  
She was astonished at how bad Angel looked, but she said nothing about it.  
  
"Come inside." she told them, leading them into the lounge room. "Take a seat, you must all be tired."  
  
Each of them sunk into a chair.  
  
Except Angel. He reached out and hugged her, almost in tears. "It's a big mess, Buffy. He's gone. I don't know what to do."  
  
Buffy said nothing, just wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.  
  
As she held him, she heard Willow, Tara and Dawn walk into the room. Xander, Giles and Anya were still in the kitchen. They all had the sense not to say anything.  
  
Carefully, Buffy extracted herself from him and sat him down on the couch. "Why don't we get some coffee? Then we can talk." she said to him. He nodded vaguely, said nothing.  
  
She got up from where she was kneeling. He looked at her in surprize. "It's okay. Relax." she laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Dawn would you ask Anya to make us all some coffee. Get Xander to help her." Buffy said to her younger sister.  
  
Dawn left the room.  
  
Several minutes later Xander and Giles carried trays of tea and coffee in. Anya carried a milk jug and a sugar bowl.  
  
Deftly Buffy made him some tea, white tea, no sugar. She pressed the mug into his hands, waiting for him to grasp it. Then she picked up her own tea, plain black. It was too late for her to have coffee.  
  
Xander, Giles and Anya were all silent, for that Buffy was thankful.  
  
"What happened?" she asked him calmly, sitting cross-legged on the floor.  
  
"Conner. He's gone." Angel began haltingly. "He's just a baby."  
  
Gently she laid a hand on his knee. "Who is Conner?"  
  
"He's my son. He's just a baby, and they took him." he looked at her, his eyes full of tears.  
  
Carefully she set her mug down on the coffee table and gently took his, setting it next to hers. She stood up. "Come with me."  
  
She helped him to his feet and began to lead him out of the room.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cordelia asked worriedly.  
  
"We'll be back soon." Buffy answered. She closed the dividing doors behind her. He watched her, unsure.  
  
She took him by the hand once more and lead him up the stairs, to her bedroom.  
  
She opened the door silently, but didn't turn on the light. Instead she crossed the room and flicked on a lamp.  
  
Then she led him over to the crib in the corner.  
  
Inside, fast asleep lay Conner. Angel gasped. "Conner!"  
  
Buffy said nothing, even as Angel lifted his sleeping son out of the crib and cuddled him close. "Oh, Conner. You're all right. You're all right." Angel stroked his son's wispy hair and kissed his sleeping face.  
  
As Buffy watched she felt as though her heart was breaking.  
  
"Thank you." He turned to Buffy. "Where did you find him?"  
  
"In the cemetary, with some lady vamp who was abandoning him. I brought him home with me." she took a deep breath. "We didn't know who he belonged to. Otherwise I would've brought him home to you." She reached out and touched the infant's cheek, "Be good Conner."  
  
"Thank you." he said again. "How did you know his name?"  
  
"He looks like a Conner." She answered simply, then smiled, "Come downstairs when you're ready. I'll leave you two alone."  
  
With that she left the room.  
  
Downstairs someone had opened the doors to the lounge room.  
  
"Buffy?" Cordelia called. "Where's Angel?"  
  
"He'll be down in a minute, just leave him for a bit." she answered, picking up her slayer bag. "I have to go and uh, patrol." "Buffy-." she heard Giles call, but she ignored him. She needed to get out of there.  
  
She walked all of the way to the cemetery before she burst into tears.  
  
Buffy didn't know how long she cried for, she just cried until there were no more tears left in her.  
  
Then she just walked for a while, trying to clear her head, trying to straighten things out in her mind.  
  
She said nothing, she saw no one. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Part 4 is UP!!!!! R&R  
  
Part 4.  
  
Shortly after Buffy left, Angel walked back downstairs, cradling his son gently against his chest.  
  
He walked back into the lounge room smiling. "Where's Buffy?"  
  
Everyone looked at him. "She gave me back my son, I wanted to thank her again."  
  
Both Cordy's and Fred's eyes lit up. In seconds they were on their feet cooing over him.  
  
Gunn chuckled. "I guess you were right, Buffy could snap him out of it."  
  
Cordelia turned and gave him a playful shove. "Everyone, this is Gunn and Fred by the way."  
  
"Where did Buffy go?" Angel asked again.  
  
"She told us she was going on patrol." Dawn chipped in helpfully.  
  
"I did try to tell her she could take the night off, but she didn't hear me." Giles offered.  
  
Angel sat down on the couch, Conner yawned and wriggled in his father's arms. "Do you mind if I wait for her to get back?"  
  
Willow shrugged, "Be our guest. Where are you planning on staying tonight?"  
  
Cordy and Angel looked blankly at each other.  
  
"You can stay here." Dawn told them. "I'll put a mattress in Willow and Tara's room for me, Angel and Conner can have my room, Cordy and Fred can share the guest bedroom, and Gunn can either have a mattress in with them, or he can sleep on the sofa." she finished.  
  
Everyone looked at her.  
  
"Are you sure Buffy won't mind?" Cordelia asked  
  
"Yes." Dawn answered her. "She'll want you to stay here." Dawn turned to look at Tara, "Will you help me set everything up?" Tara nodded and got to her feet.  
  
Soon the cradle was moved into Dawn's room, a mattress was laid out on the floor for Dawn, and the sofa bed was all set up for Gunn.  
  
Exhausted by the events of the day everyone fell asleep quickly.  
  
Even Angel, as he waited for Buffy to return, fell asleep, and did not hear her come in. Nor did he hear her put her weapons away, or get dressed for bed.  
  
As she lay there in bed, she was glad that everyone was asleep. She was glad they didn't get to see her swollen, red eyes, or her tear stained face.  
  
Her heart wasn't breaking anymore. It was broken.  
  
When Conner woke up at around three o'clock, she was still awake. She heard Angel fix him a bottle and put him back down to sleep. She heard him open her door slightly, so he could check on her. She said nothing, stayed absolutely silent. After a few moments, she heard him close the door and get back into bed.  
  
Slowly she drifted off to sleep.  
  
Her peaceful sleep became powerful reminders of what she was, and what she wasn't. She saw herself being killed by the Master, grinding his bones with a sledgehammer, Angel as Angelus taunting her, Kendra lying in a puddle of her own blood, fighting Angel, killing Angel, sending him to hell, going there herself, going home, Riley leaving her, her mother's funeral, fighting Glory, jumping off the tower, and she dreamed of being in heaven.  
  
But then heaven changed and she was back inside the coffin, frantically trying to get out. She felt her hands hitting the top of the coffin as she woke up screaming.  
  
In the next room Angel heard her tossing and turning. He got up to see if she was okay.  
  
When he entered the room she was still sleeping, but her hands were drawn into fists, bashing against something unseen to him.  
  
He sat down on the bed beside her, waiting for her dream to end.  
  
She began to thrash more and more. Angel took hold of her wrists as she began to scream.  
  
She bolted upright in bed, breathing hard.  
  
Angel sat beside her. "Are you okay? That was some nightmare."  
  
She said nothing, her eyes glazed over with tears. "It was just a dream." She reached over to turn on the lamp. Light flooded the room, and she began to breathe easier. "It was just a dream."  
  
"Tell me about it?" he asked her gently.  
  
"It was nothing. Just a dream." she answered him.  
  
"Okay." he said to her, knowing that she wouldn't talk about it. "If you need, call." He closed the door behind him as he left the room.  
  
Leaving the lamp on, Buffy curled up under her blankets again.  
  
It was a long time before she fell asleep again. 


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5.  
  
She was up early the next morning. Since her nightmare she had slept brokenly through the rest of the night.  
  
By the time everyone else got up she'd done her morning workout, had a shower and brewed an enormous pot of coffee.  
  
Buffy sat on the kitchen bench sipping her coffee. The hot liquid scalded her lips and tongue, but inside she still felt cold.  
  
As she drank, Dawn walked quietly into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her older sister.  
  
"It's gonna be hard for you to watch Angel take him home isn't it?" she asked quietly.  
  
Buffy nodded. "I can't believe I'm going to lose him." she paused, trying to snap herself out of her mood. "You need some breakfast. You can't go to school on an empty stomach." Buffy slid off the bench and pulled the toaster out of the cupboard.  
  
They didn't say anything else to each other. Both were too lost in their own thoughts.  
  
As Buffy spread raspberry jam on the toast and placed it on a napkin, Angel walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning. I didn't think anyone was up." he said to the sisters.  
  
A car horn blared outside.  
  
"That's Xander." Buffy nudged Dawn, handing her the toast as Dawn picked up her school bag.  
  
"Don't leave before I get back from school." Dawn called as she ran out the door, "I want to say goodbye."  
  
Buffy smiled and waved to Xander as Dawn got into the front seat of Xander's car.  
  
*********  
  
Once Dawn and Xander had driven off there was silence in the kitchen.  
  
"Does he pick her up often?" Angel asked, taking a stab at making conversation.  
  
Buffy nodded, "Most mornings. He drops her off on the way to the building site, and she loves her friends asking her about the hot guy who takes her to school."  
  
Angel chuckled. "How have you been?" he asked, more seriously.  
  
"I'm alive." was all she said.  
  
He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "You didn't answer my question." he prodded her gently.  
  
"You don't wanna know." she bit out.  
  
"Try me?" he challenged her, he knew that there was something she wasn't telling him.  
  
"Most days, I don't even want to get out of bed. I only do it for them." she began bitterly. "I was happy, and at peace with the world. I was complete, finished. They think they did me some huge favor, but the truth is, I don't want to be here. I want to be dead again. I want to be complete again." tears trickled down her cheeks.  
  
He reached out to comfort her, but she pulled away. "I have to go."  
  
She bolted out of the kitchen door, slamming it behind her.  
  
He just stared after her. **********  
  
As he stared at the door Willow, Tara, Fred and Cordy entered the kitchen.  
  
"Where's Dawn and Buffy?" Willow asked. "Do you know if Dawn got off to school?"  
  
"Ah, yeah. Xander picked her up. Buffy said she had to go." he answered.  
  
"Go where?" Tara asked.  
  
"She didn't say." Angel answered her. He turned to make himself some tea, not wanting them to see how worried he was. Cordelia placed a cup next to his, so he took the hint and poured her some coffee, adding several spoons of sugar to the hot, brown liquid.  
  
"How did Conner sleep?" she asked him as he handed her the coffee.  
  
"He slept well. Got up at about three. I gave him a bottle and he went straight back to sleep." he answered.  
  
Cordelia beamed. "That's our boy."  
  
Angel leaned against the bench, looking at Willow and Tara. "How has Buffy been sleeping?"  
  
Willow and Tara exchanged looks. "I guess she's been sleeping fine. She hasn't said anything about not sleeping well." Willow answered.  
  
"She did wake up screaming a few times..." Tara added, "But not for ages."  
  
"Last night she woke up screaming. It was like she was trying to fight something, or hit out at something. When she woke up she wouldn't tell me what it was about." Angel mused. "She's different, you know. There's something bothering her."  
  
Willow looked blankly at him. "I hadn't noticed." she paused, thinking. "You're right. What do you think it is?" she asked him.  
  
"No idea." he answered.  
  
"Maybe she's just feeling lonely." Tara said, making herbal tea for her and Willow.  
  
Giles opened the kitchen door. "She's lost again."  
  
"What?" Cordelia looked at him, confused.  
  
"That's what is bothering Buffy. I heard you talking as I walked up the path. Now that Conner will be going home, she feels like she's lost again." He explained.  
  
"She said she wanted to feel complete again." Angel chipped in. The others turned to look at him. "I asked her how she was. That's what she told me."  
  
With his super-sensitive hearing he heard Conner begin to stir upstairs. "I'm going to go and get Conner. Would someone try to wake Gunn up, please?"  
  
"We're not going are we?" Cordy asked him.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I promised Dawn we'd wait until she got back from school, but we all do need a vacation. And I still own the mansion so..."  
  
Cordelia bounded over and hugged him. "You are the best boss ever!"  
  
"Conner, remember?" he said, prying himself from her grasp.  
  
"You'll need to call Lorne and Kate too. Otherwise they'll keep looking for Conner." she called after him.  
  
Gunn grunted from the sofa bed. "Always the secretary."  
  
"Partner." she corrected. "Now come and get some coffee into you."  
  
***********  
  
They were all standing around the kitchen talking when Buffy opened the door.  
  
"Hey Buffy." Willow greeted her.  
  
"Hey." she replied, feeling a little on edge.  
  
"Where'd you rush off to this morning?" Tara asked.  
  
"Nowhere in particular." That was a lie. She turned and made herself some tea.  
  
"You look a little tired Buffy. Did you sleep well?" Giles asked, concerned. He'd missed the discussion about Buffy's dreams.  
  
"Is this twenty questions?" she asked, a little irritated.  
  
Giles shook his head. "Maybe you'd like to take tonight off patrolling." he said to her.  
  
She shrugged, "Doesn't make a difference to me. It's not like I'll end up dead again." She walked out of the room, leaving everyone speechless.  
  
Gunn took a sip of his coffee. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say she's not a happy girl."  
  
Willow looked a little hurt, but she said nothing.  
  
"Should someone go and talk to her?" Fred asked.  
  
Angel shook his head. "She's too angry. We'll give her some time."  
  
"She's already had weeks." Willow burst out. "What else does she expect from us?"  
  
"Did anyone talk to her after she was resurrected?" Angel asked.  
  
Willow nodded. "She didn't want to talk back."  
  
"She's in pain. It can't be easy for her to just come back like she has."  
  
"But vampires do it all the time."  
  
"Willow, no vampire would wait three months before rising. She feels like she doesn't have a purpose anymore." he explained.  
  
"How do you know all of this?" Tara asked him  
  
"I asked her." he said quietly. Gently he transferred Conner into Fred's waiting arms. "I'll see if she'll talk to me." 


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6.  
  
It was quiet in her bedroom. She sat on the windowsill, just looking out.  
  
She was all messed up inside. She didn't want to be, but she couldn't help it.  
  
Slowly Angel opened her bedroom door. Buffy knew it was him. She always knew when it was him.  
  
He sat down on her bed, waiting.  
  
"I don't want to feel this way, you know. But I can't help it. It's like this is a bad dream I can't wake up from, and sometimes, when it starts to get better, it ends up being worse." Tears trickled freely down her cheeks, she made no move to wipe them away. "When I found Conner I had something I could do. Willow, Giles, Xander, they didn't have a clue about how to take care of him. I did, and I could do it well. I made him happy. And I let myself fall for him. Dumb, huh? I'm nineteen years old and I've fallen for a baby." She shook her head.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to be brave and strong all of the time. You don't have to hide your pain from me. I love you." He kissed the top of her head and let her cry.  
  
After a long time her sobs quieted, but she stayed against his chest. She felt too safe to move.  
  
"You must think I'm the biggest crybaby." she said to him, her voice strained.  
  
"No." he answered her. "I think you've had that coming for a long time."  
  
She played her fingers down his chest. "Thank you. For coming back." She reached up and kissed him.  
  
He gave no protest, just kissed her back.  
  
When the kiss ended she sighed and curled up against his chest. He just held her.  
  
"Angel?" she said quietly, "Where does this leave us?"  
  
"Where do you want it to leave us?" he said to her, not answering her question.  
  
"I don't want you to go away so I don't see you. I want you to be part of my life again. I need you here."  
  
He kissed her again, "Then I guess I'll be coming Sunnydale more often."  
  
"You'd do that?" she asked, sounding a little surprised.  
  
"We'll make it work this time." he promised, stroking her hair.  
  
"Where's Conner?" she asked, lazily tracing circles on his chest.  
  
"Downstairs. I left him with Fred and Cordy." he answered. "Did I tell you we're going to stay in Sunnydale for a while?"  
  
She looked up at him. "No."  
  
"Vacation. We've all been working round the clock to find Conner. The others did more work than I did." he confessed. "I spent most of my time looking at his crib and worrying."  
  
Buffy laid her hand on his cheek. "Mom used to say that the hardest part of her day was worrying whether or not I'd come home from patrol in one piece. I guess she was right." she paused, deep in thought. "We'd better go downstairs. Willow probably hates me."  
  
"Willow doesn't hate you. She just doesn't understand how you're feeling." he said gently.  
  
"Then why didn't she ask me?" Buffy asked him.  
  
"Why don't you ask her?" he replied.  
  
She gave him a gentle shove. "I'd rather stay here with you."  
  
He got up and pulled Buffy to her feet. "Well, I'm going downstairs. You can come if you'd like."  
  
She followed him out the door, shaking her head at him. "Angel we don't have to tell everyone about us yet, do we?"  
  
He shook his head. "We'll let them know, when we're ready to tell, and they're ready to know."  
  
She hugged him, "I'll be down in a moment. I'm just gonna see if I can make myself look like I haven't been crying my eyes out."  
  
He nodded and walked down the stairs.  
  
***********  
  
"What happened?" Cordy asked Angel as soon as he walked into the lounge.  
  
"She's a bit better. She'll be down in a minute." he answered.  
  
"You neglected to answer the question." Giles prompted.  
  
"We talked." he shrugged his shoulders. As he heard Buffy's footsteps on the stairs he turned towards the door.  
  
Buffy said nothing when she walked into the room. She just sat down.  
  
Willow looked at her. "What no little stabs?"  
  
"I'm not going to fight with you." Buffy answered her. She paused before continuing, "Don't sit there and look at me like I'm out of my mind."  
  
Everyone stared at her, but Angel could see from the look on her face that she didn't care.  
  
Tara laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I never knew you were in so much pain."  
  
Buffy looked up at her, tears sparkling in her eyes. She willed herself not to cry again. "You never asked."  
  
Anya walked in through the front door in time to hear the end of the conversation. "I knew. Your pain penetrated dimensional walls. I've had demons asking me about you for months." As usual Anya was her tactless self, but after she finished speaking, she surprised everyone by moving over to Buffy and giving her a hug. "Maybe I shouldn't have told them all that they shouldn't grant you your wish."  
  
Somehow, Buffy found it inside herself to smile. "After Halfrek and my party, I think that was a good idea."  
  
Giles stared at them both in surprise. "Halfrek was here, in Sunnydale?"  
  
Anya nodded. "More like here, in this house though."  
  
Giles flung his hands up towards the ceiling, in frustration Buffy thought.  
  
The silence in the room became thick with tension. Buffy felt as though it was smoke, strangling her, preventing her from breathing.  
  
"Why don't I make some tea?" Tara asked everyone, just blurting it out. Buffy was grateful, the silence was gone now.  
  
She jumped up to help, anything to get out of that room.  
  
***********  
  
A few minutes later Buffy and Tara returned, each carrying trays laden with cups, a large tea pot, a jug of coffee, milk and sugar.  
  
Buffy said nothing as she began to pour tea and coffee into cups for everyone. Even as she began to add milk and sugar she said nothing.  
  
Angel laid one of his hands over hers as she handed him a cup of tea. The gesture quite plainly said 'relax'. She smiled as she leaned back against the sofa and sipped her tea.  
  
"Where's Conner?" Angel asked Fred and Cordy.  
  
"Sleeping. We put him on the floor on a pile of blankets." Fred motioned to where he lay, sound asleep. Buffy smiled. He was so peaceful.  
  
"Did you tell Buffy we've staying in Sunnydale for a vacation?" Cordy asked him.  
  
Angel nodded. "We'll head over to the mansion later."  
  
"You can take the crib for Conner." Buffy said to him.  
  
"Don't you want to keep it?" Angel asked her, "It looks brand new."  
  
"It's not like we'll have any use for it around here." she answered him, a touch of sadness creeping into her voice.  
  
Giles looked at her. "There's no written rule that Slayers can't have children, Buffy." his voice was gentle.  
  
She just shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it." her voice was firm. She turned to Angel. "You can use the jeep to take it over to the mansion. Otherwise we'll have to dismantle it." she paused. "There's plenty of other stuff in the attic if you need any thing else."  
  
Angel nodded. "Thank you."  
  
She smiled sleepily at him. "I'll take you up there later." She laid back into the sofa and looked at everyone through tired eyes. Within moments she was asleep.  
  
After a few moments Angel stood up and scooped her carefully into his arms.  
  
In just a few short minutes he carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. 


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7.  
  
As he walked back into the lounge room everyone was quiet.  
  
"Why was she so tired?" Willow asked him.  
  
"She's had a pretty big day so far, and I'll take a gamble and say that she hasn't been sleeping well. She's exhausted."  
  
Anya smiled at everybody. "What are you all going to do today?"  
  
"We both have afternoon classes, and I know I need to go to the library." Willow answered for her and Tara.  
  
"I have to go to the library too." Tara added.  
  
"We need to open the Magic Box." Giles said to Anya. She nodded.  
  
Angel looked at Cordy, Fred and Gunn. "You three should get out today. Cordy I know your parents would like to see you." At this Cordelia groaned, but nodded. "You three can take my car. Gunn, you are the designated driver."  
  
Gunn laughed, as Cordelia pouted. "You never let me drive the car."  
  
He smiled.  
  
"What are you going to do, Angel?" Fred asked.  
  
"Stay here, wait until Conner wakes up. See if Buffy wants to take him to the park later."  
  
"What are you going to do until then?" Cordy asked him.  
  
He pulled a book off the shelf. "Read. Now go out and have fun."  
  
As everyone ran upstairs to fetch jackets and wallets, before dashing out the various doors, Angel lost himself in the novel.  
  
It was early afternoon by the time Buffy woke up  
  
She sighed and stretched, this was the first time since she'd been resurrected that she hadn't had any nightmares.  
  
Buffy smiled as she looked down at her wrinkled clothes. Silently she changed into a pair of blue and white sweatpants and a matching hooded sweatshirt.  
  
As she walked down the stairs and into the living room she smiled at the sight presented to her.  
  
Angel held Conner in his arms, singing to him.  
  
Not wanting to interrupt them, she leaned against the door frame.  
  
When he finished singing he turned to smile at her. "Hey Sleeping Beauty. We've been waiting for you to wake up."  
  
She smiled. "Why is that?" She curled up on the couch next to them.  
  
"We want to go to the park."  
  
Buffy ran her fingers through her hair. "Sounds good to me. Where is everyone?" It hadn't taken her long to realize the absence of Gunn, Cordy and Fred.  
  
"Sightseeing, meeting Cordy's parents."  
  
"You arranged this didn't you?" she giggled.  
  
He gave her a look of mock disbelief. "I only offered them my car keys."  
  
She got up and motioned towards the kitchen.  
  
In the kitchen Buffy smiled at his attempts to clip Conner into the stroller. He struggled to work out that you needed to align the clips in order to press them in.  
  
He stared at her in disbelief as she clipped both in one-handed.  
  
"Ready?" she asked him.  
  
He nodded, as she grabbed an apple off the counter. "Are you hungry?"  
  
He shook his head. "Conner and I ate lunch while you were still asleep."  
  
"Let's go then." she prompted him, turning to pick up a pacifier for Conner as well.  
  
At the park they both marveled at the beautiful day presented to them.  
  
"You never asked me who Conner's mother is." Angel said to her.  
  
"He has Darla's eyes. Cordy told me she was back." Buffy answered.  
  
"She staked herself to give birth to Conner."  
  
"It doesn't mean that I love you, or Conner any less." she said to him. "Darla finally managed to do one good thing."  
  
Angel was silent for a moment, thinking. "Why did you get so defensive with Giles this morning?"  
  
"I knew this was coming." She paused, trying to order her thoughts. "It's too dangerous for me to have children of my own." she said no more.  
  
Angel didn't press the point. Instead he pulled her to her feet. "Let's go get some ice-cream." he gestured to an ice-cream seller. Buffy pushed the pram over to the ice-cream cart, Angel in tow.  
  
"What can I get you?" the ice-cream man asked cheerily.  
  
Buffy examined the flavors. "Honeycomb please." she answered him.  
  
The man made up her ice-cream and handed it to her. He looked at Angel, who was still studying the flavors. "I'll have chocolate chip please."  
  
Angel paid for their ice-creams and they started off towards Buffy's house. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for me to update everyone, I've been really busy with finishing year twelve and studying for my upcoming exams.  
  
Part 8.  
  
Willow and Tara were waiting for them when they walked in the door. Two people Buffy didn't know were also with them. She felt like she'd met the woman though.  
  
Angel smiled. "Hey. I didn't expect you two to come down. How's things in LA?"  
  
"Good," answered the strange green guy. Buffy swore she could see horns poking out of his forehead. "We thought we'd come and check on all of you guys. We both missed Conner." Green guy looked her up and down, appraisingly.  
  
Buffy forced herself not to react.  
  
"This is Lorne," he gestured the green guy, "And Kate." he gestured to the blonde woman. "They both help us out in LA."  
  
Buffy felt a spark of realization come over her. Kate was the police detective who arrested Faith.  
  
"Hi, I'm Buffy." she said pleasantly.  
  
"You were there when I wanted to arrest Angel." Kate said to her.  
  
Buffy nodded, remembering. She sneaked a peek at the clock on the wall. "Will, have you see my car keys? I have to go and get Dawn in a second, and I'm going to be late."  
  
Willow smiled at her. "On top of the refrigerator."  
  
Buffy flashed her a smile. "Thanks. See you everyone, nice meeting you all." Angel chuckled as she dashed out the front door.  
  
"She's in a good mood." Lorne observed.  
  
"A little too good." Willow amended. "What did you two do today?"  
  
"She slept, then we took Conner to the park. We only just got back." Angel answered her. He fumbled with the clip and picked Conner up. "How's everyone's day been?" he offered Conner to Lorne, who cooed over him, chatting away in baby talk.  
  
"One of my professors gave out a heap of reading and an assignment to do." Willow groaned.  
  
Tara patted her hand. "I'll help you. No assignments for me, just a bit of reading."  
  
"How was the drive down?" Angel asked Kate.  
  
"The drive wasn't too bad." She answered. "Traffic was really fast."  
  
He nodded. "Good. We're all staying in Sunnydale for a few days. You both look like you need vacations."  
  
Kate nodded. "I'll be glad for the break."  
  
Several minutes later Dawn bounded in through the front door. "Hey everyone."  
  
Buffy walked in behind her, carrying Dawn's school bag. "Didn't you forget something?"  
  
Dawn spun and grabbed her bag from Buffy's hand. "Thanks, Buffy."  
  
"Now take it upstairs." Buffy prodded gently. "Then you can come visit with everyone."  
  
Angel chuckled as Dawn raced up the stairs, and dumped her bag, before racing back down to sit down next to Buffy.  
  
"Guess what?" Dawn teased them all happily.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked, leaning over to tickle her sister.  
  
Dawn shrieked with laughter. "Stop it, stop it, stop it." Buffy laughed as she relented.  
  
"The nominees for class president were announced today. I got nominated." she answered shyly.  
  
Buffy hugged her. "That's great. I'm proud of you."  
  
"I didn't win yet." Dawn chuckled, shocked at all of the fuss.  
  
"Doesn't matter. I'm still proud of you." Buffy insisted.  
  
Angel nodded. "What do you have to do?"  
  
"I have to give a speech in front of my class. All of my class." Dawn looked a little nervous at that thought.  
  
"You'll do just fine." Tara reassured her. "You like talking to people."  
  
Dawn smiled again. "Thanks guys. I better go up and do my homework."  
  
Buffy smiled after her.  
  
"If you need a hand, call." Willow yelled after her.  
  
"Well, if you guys want to keep an eye on Conner, Angel and I will see about moving the crib and whatever." Buffy said.  
  
Lorne looked at Angel. "You don't mind me looking after him?"  
  
Angel shook his head. "It wasn't your fault."  
  
Seeing the confused looks on the girls faces Lorne explained. "I was looking after Conner when he was kidnapped."  
  
Buffy smiled gently at him. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault." He seemed to take heart from that.  
  
She dragged Angel off the couch. "Come on."  
  
She led him up to the attic. "If there's anything in here you think you'll need, go ahead."  
  
Angel looked around, shocked. Directly in front of him stood a bassinet, high chair, changing table, pram, a folded up playpen leaned against one of the walls, all of it was covered with plastic sheets. Like the crib, everything looked brand new.  
  
Suddenly, in his mind he could hear Buffy saying, 'It's too dangerous for me to have children of my own.' and 'I don't want to talk about it.' Then there was all of this brand new baby furniture she was offering him.  
  
Things clicked in his mind. "When did it happen?" he asked her gently.  
  
She closed her eyes for a second. "I was only seventeen."  
  
He wrapped his arms around her. "You never told the others did you?"  
  
"I couldn't. I wanted to wait until I was ready, when the fight with you, Spike and Drusilla was over. Mom was the only person who knew. I- I just couldn't tell them, not even Dawn." she paused, "The baby was a girl. She was ours."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, when I got back from hell at least?" he asked, still trying to be gentle.  
  
"You were already in so much pain, I didn't want to add to it. I didn't want to hurt you." Her voice was pained.  
  
"How did it happen?"  
  
"I was patrolling. Vampires got in a lucky kick. It got me right in the stomach. I miscarried. Mom took me to the hospital, and then after that I spent a few days at home. Mom knew I hadn't wanted to tell anyone until I was ready. She let me deal with it in my own way. I couldn't return all of this though." she waved her hands, indicating all of the baby furniture. "When I found out mom and I went a little overboard."  
  
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. I know how hard it must've been. Sort of."  
  
They stayed there for a while.  
  
"Did she have a name?" Angel asked.  
  
"Antonia."  
  
"Priceless." he said to her.  
  
Buffy nodded. "She was. Every baby is."  
  
She got up, "We should get started, is there anything here you need?"  
  
"I'll let you know. Why don't we start moving that crib."  
  
Buffy and Angel were both very quiet as they lugged the crib downstairs.  
  
Everyone noticed, but no one said anything.  
  
Xander and Gunn, back from his sightseeing with Fred and Cordy, helped them lift it into the rear of the jeep. As Buffy had predicted, it fitted in nicely.  
  
After that it was only a short drive to the mansion.  
  
"So how long are you guys planning on staying in Sunnydale?" Xander asked Gunn, in the back seat. They'd become firm friends.  
  
"No idea." Gunn answered. "Better ask the boss."  
  
Angel turned around to face them from the front seat. "I thought we'd just take and open ended vacation. When we get bored, or broke, we'll go home."  
  
Buffy said nothing, just turned on the radio.  
  
"Buffy," Xander whined, "Why do we have to listen to classical music?"  
  
"I like it." she answered him, "And I'm driving."  
  
Xander sighed with relief when she pulled in the mansion's driveway.  
  
It didn't take them long to get the crib out, and moved into Angel's room.  
  
Buffy walked over towards the fireplace. She said nothing, just faced the fireplace.  
  
Angel laid his hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"  
  
She smiled at him, "Do you remember when we studied here?"  
  
He nodded his head, remembering the times they had spent in front of a roaring fire, with her textbooks spread out in front of them.  
  
"I got a B in history, and a B+ on English." she smiled at him.  
  
From across the room Xander and Gunn watched them.  
  
"What are they doing?" Gunn hissed.  
  
Xander raised his eyebrows. "Reminiscing about the past, most likely. They were still head-over-heels when he lived here."  
  
"It must be nice," Gunn began, "To be such good friends with your ex."  
  
Xander chuckled. "Those two will never really be ex, they still care about each other. The only reason they aren't together is that he wanted her to have a normal life."  
  
"That's gotta be tough on them."  
  
Xander nodded. "I don't really know the whole story. Just that he left her before our high school prom, and after the Mayor's Ascension he left town. She's only seen him twice since he left. Both times were in LA."  
  
Buffy turned to face them. "We should have a pizza party here tonight."  
  
Xander nodded, "We'll head back to your place to pick everyone else up, then I'll make my famous call to the pizzeria."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Gunn agreed. 


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9.  
  
The drive back to Revello Drive was more animated than the drive to the Mansion. This time Buffy found a top 40 radio station, which seemed to please Xander, and in spite of herself she bopped along with the music, trying to ignore Xander's attempts at his kind of Xander-dance, which was basically him trying to do aerobics in the back of the car.  
  
As Buffy pulled into her driveway she began to laugh.  
  
She was still laughing as they entered the front door.  
  
Xander raced inside after her, trying to catch her so that he could tickle her.  
  
She threw herself into a chair and half-heartedly tried to fend him off.  
  
As Dawn and everyone else entered the room, Buffy shrieked with laughter, and cried out for help, tears running down her cheeks.  
  
Willow darted forward to tickle Xander in just the right spot to make him cry out for mercy.  
  
"Oh, Will, stop it. That's not fair, that's..." he trailed off as the girls gained the upper hand. In seconds he was on the floor and wriggling frantically to escape Buffy and Willow.  
  
In the end he begged for mercy.  
  
Buffy and Willow stood up, both grinning. They slapped each other 'high 5' and laughed a little more.  
  
Xander stayed on the floor, all tickled out.  
  
"That's what you get for messing with one of us." Willow waggled her finger at him.  
  
"I need that pizza." he groaned.  
  
Buffy nodded. "Pizza party at the Mansion tonight. In celebration of. everything good that has happened recently."  
  
The announcement was greeted with whoops and cheers.  
  
***********  
  
It was late by the time everyone have finished eating, and six large pizza boxes lay on various tables, paper plates and cups littered the room and several half empty bottles of soda stood on the coffee table.  
  
Buffy leaned back into the couch, Angel sat beside her cradling his son, who was half asleep.  
  
This was the first time Buffy had felt truly at ease for a long time. She suspected she hadn't felt like this since she was first called.  
  
She dozed lightly, lulled by Angel's familiar presence.  
  
By the time Angel moved to put Conner to bed, Buffy was in a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
She didn't even feel it when he covered her in a blanket to ward off the chill in the night air.  
  
A smiled played at the corners of his mouth as he sat back down. He just sat and watched her for a long time. He barely registered when Lorne spoke to him.  
  
"Peaceful isn't she?"  
  
Angel looked up at him. "Always."  
  
"You don't have to pretend you know. That little lullaby you two sang for Conner said it all." Lorne sat down across from him. "I guess you'll be spending more time in Sunnydale."  
  
Angel nodded, "It's time I gave her a choice. We going to try again, see if we can make it work."  
  
"Where does Conner sit on this, or do I even need to ask?"  
  
"She loves him, you know that." Angel answered him.  
  
"She's still in a lot of pain."  
  
Angel nodded. "We'll make it work this time. It's ironic you know, the last time I left her I told her that she should have a normal life, with a normal guy. I told her she should have someone who can take her into the sunlight, someone who can make love to her. I never knew that I'd be able to give that to her."  
  
"That's not irony Angel, it's fate. The pair of you... let's just say that the world hasn't seen anything like you two since Romeo and Juliet."  
  
"Romeo and Juliet were characters of Shakespeare's imagination."  
  
"But they were based on real people." Lorne replied.  
  
"For real?" Angel asked him, "I never knew that." he chuckled.  
  
"I guess we learn something new everyday." Lorne smiled at him.  
  
********  
  
Willow and Xander stood up and stretched.  
  
"I win again." Willow teased him.  
  
"That's because in Scategories you, with your superior intellect will always win. You wait until Twister night. I'll kick you butt." he answered with conviction.  
  
Dawn got up, "Are we going home soon? I'm getting kind of tired." To punctuate her question she yawned and rubbed at her eyes sleepily.  
  
Tara nodded. "We'll just get Buffy..."  
  
All eyes turned to where Buffy still slept.  
  
"So," Xander began, "Who wants to wake her?"  
  
Angel and Lorne stopped talking.  
  
"You might as well just leave her." Lorne said to them. "If you move her she'll probably wake up."  
  
Dawn brushed several strands of hair off Buffy's face. "She'll be okay if we leave her here. She's tired."  
  
Tara nodded. "If you're sure, then."  
  
Angel stood up. "I'll drive her home in the morning."  
  
Dawn reached up to hug him. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, Dawn." he answered quietly.  
  
He faced Willow and the others again. "Drive carefully."  
  
Willow nodded and handed him a set of keys. "If she wakes up later, and wants to come home that's fine. These are her house keys."  
  
He nodded. "Have a good night."  
  
With that he followed them out the door to be polite, and to make sure everyone got to their cars okay.  
  
Dawn waved as Willow drove off, and casually he returned the gesture.  
  
*********  
  
As he re-entered the lounge room Buffy sighed in her sleep. He smiled as he watched her.  
  
Snapping himself out of his daze, he went and turned down a bed for her, before going back out to the lounge room.  
  
Carefully he picked her up, and laid her gently in the bed, covering her over with blankets.  
  
He paused in the doorway as she turned over in her sleep, before walking down the hall into his own room, so that he could get some sleep before Conner woke up. 


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10.  
  
Buffy sighed and stretched, taking full advantage of the opportunity to wake up slowly.  
  
Then, suddenly she sat upright in bed, realizing that this wasn't her bed, and she wasn't in her room.  
  
Silently she slipped out of bed, feeling more refreshed that she had in a long time.  
  
As she padded down the hallway, her socks made no sound on the tiled floor.  
  
Buffy smiled as she entered the lounge room, seeing Angel and Conner sitting there.  
  
"Looks like someone slept well." Angel remarked, looking up from feeding Conner a bottle.  
  
She pouted, but her eyes held a teasing look. "This place is still really girl unfriendly."  
  
Angel chuckled, remembering the discussion they had had about the same issue a long time ago. "You look fine."  
  
She paused, considering the thought. Then she grinned. "Okay then." She was still smiling when she threw herself down next to him and kissed him.  
  
"What did I do to deserve that?" Angel asked, teasing her.  
  
Lorne chuckled as he entered, "Well I could take a guess, but I don't really think I want to."  
  
Buffy looked quizzically at him, and then at Angel.  
  
"He knows Buffy," Angel began, "He read us both when we sang to Conner last night."  
  
Buffy just looked at him, "What?"  
  
Lorne suddenly clicked that Buffy didn't understand his gift. "When people sing I can read them, sort of their thoughts and look inside them."  
  
Buffy nodded slowly, "Sort of like an Empath, except that you don't read emotions."  
  
Lorne and Angel both nodded.  
  
"I won't tell anybody," he began, "It's your business, but I won't say anything, just so you know."  
  
"What's your business? And what won't Lorne say anything about?" Cordy asked as she entered the room. She handed Buffy a cup of coffee as she sat down.  
  
"Just some stuff." Buffy answered, sounding casual.  
  
"Like what?" Cordy pressed.  
  
"Like what sort of gift I'm going to get for Dawn when she gets elected class president."  
  
"What have you come up with so far?" Cordy asked, sounding interested.  
  
"I thought about a bracelet, a special bear that you sign, or something else. I'm not really sure." Buffy answered, coming up with ideas on the spur of the moment.  
  
"You'll want to give her something she can keep." Cordelia began, "So jewelry is always good, you could even get the piece engraved."  
  
Buffy nodded, "Like an ID bracelet or a ring."  
  
"Or if you still have any of your mom's jewelry, she might like a special piece." Angel added.  
  
"She was a nice lady, your mom." Cordy said to her.  
  
Buffy got up to look out the window. "What time is it?"  
  
Angel turned his hand up to check his watch. "Ten o'clock-ish."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. "Dawn must be worried."  
  
"Dawn was the one who didn't want to wake you last night." Angel answered her.  
  
Buffy smiled again. "I must have been so out of it."  
  
"You had a pretty big day yesterday, so I'm not surprised." Angel chuckled.  
  
"I should get home, they'll still be worried about me."  
  
Angel shook his head, and reached out his hand to her. "I want to show you something."  
  
Curiosity peaked; she took his hand and let him lead her across the room. She looked at him quizzically as he motioned for her to sit down.  
  
With one hand he lifted the drop cloth in front of her to reveal a piano.  
  
Buffy smiled at him. "Nice. I played my first exam on a baby grand."  
  
His eyes widened in surprise, "I didn't know that." he paused, before urging her. "Play something."  
  
Buffy pushed the cover open to reveal the piano keys. She sat poised with her fingers spread out over the keys for a moment, before beginning to play.  
  
As she began to play Angel closed his eyes, he didn't know what she was playing, but the piece appeared to be only an instrumental. Buffy could play the piano unlike anyone he'd ever met before.  
  
His eyes remained closed until she stopped playing. Conner stirred in his arms once more.  
  
Lorne stood beside him, astonished at how well she had played. "What is that piece called?"  
  
"Song Without Words, second movement of 'Suite in F'." she replied. "I haven't played that piece in so long."  
  
Cordelia laid her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "That was beautiful." she paused for a second. "Play something we know?"  
  
Buffy chuckled, as she turned back to the keys. A bittersweet melody filled the room, lulling it's occupants into an almost dreamlike state.  
  
"I woke up this morning  
  
And my mind fell away  
  
And looking back sadly from tomorrow  
  
As I heard an echo from the past  
  
Softly say 'come back, come back, won't you stay?'  
  
I wanted to reach you  
  
Let you know I still care  
  
And lost in the silence of my sorrow  
  
I put a promise in the wind, on the air, to fly away to you there.  
  
Touch the wind  
  
Catch my love as it goes sailing  
  
Touch the wind  
  
And I'll be close to you."  
  
Buffy stopped playing and turned to look at them all.  
  
"We don't know that song." Cordelia chided her.  
  
Angel smiled, "Speak for yourself."  
  
Buffy smiled at them, "Mom taught me how to play that when I was a little girl. It's one of the first pieces I ever learned to play."  
  
Angel laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'd almost forgotten that song. You played that for me once didn't you?"  
  
Buffy nodded, "I don't think I've played it since." 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Finally Samantha has updated RENEWING OLD TIES! Sorry guys, studying for exams has kept me pretty busy lately, but I'm back and writing like maniac!!!!  
  
Part 11.  
  
Back at the Summers house Dawn, Willow and Tara sat in the lounge room watching cartoons.  
  
"Where do you think Buffy is?" Dawn asked quietly.  
  
"Probably still at Angel's." Willow answered her.  
  
They all paused as they heard the front door open.  
  
"Hello?" Buffy's familiar voice called out.  
  
"In here!" Three voices hollered from the lounge.  
  
Buffy smiled at the sight of the three of them. Each was still in her pyjamas, all of them curled up together amidst a pile of blankets and cushions. "Having a good morning?" she asked them.  
  
"Did you have a good morning?" Dawn countered.  
  
Buffy flopped down into an armchair. "I did." She agreed.  
  
"So what did you do?" Dawn pressed.  
  
"Slept, woke up, chatted for a bit, then Gunn drove me home." Buffy summarized for them.  
  
"Sounds like you had a fun night then." Tara smiled.  
  
"Slept better than I have in ages." Buffy agreed, "Right now, that's a fun night."  
  
"You know that if there's anything we can do, anything you want, you can always talk to us." Willow said to her.  
  
"How do you know me so well?" Buffy dropped down onto the couch next to her friend.  
  
"Angel." Willow said knowingly, brushing Buffy's hair back off her face.  
  
"Got it in one. After all this time, he can still make my heart go bump, bump." Buffy made the motion over her heart.  
  
"But you can be together now, right?" Tara asked.  
  
"We can be together now. He says we'll make it work this time." Buffy nodded.  
  
"But you're not so sure?" Willow asked.  
  
"No, I know we'll be okay, and he's the loyal type so I'm not worried about that either." Buffy began, "It's just..."  
  
"Conner?" Dawn asked.  
  
"God no, I love Conner. It's nothing important, just me being insecure." Buffy shook off the line of questions, calling it to an abrupt halt.  
  
"So, what do you wanna do today?" Dawn asked. "It's bright and sunny out."  
  
"We could go to the beach!" Willow said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah!" Dawn cheered. "We haven't been there in ages."  
  
"We could even ask Angel and everyone if they want to come." Willow shot Buffy a sidelong glance. "What do you say?"  
  
"I think it sounds like a great idea. I'll call the others, you call Xander and Anya." Buffy replied, a smile on her face. 


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12.  
  
"It looks like everyone made it." Cordelia said as she got out of the car.  
  
"This beach is gorgeous, there's so few people on it!" Kate exclaimed.  
  
Angel turned to Dawn. "Where's Buffy?"  
  
"On the beach. I think she needed a little downtime."  
  
In the distance Angel could see her wandering along the shoreline, the waves lapping at her feet. "She seems happier though, doesn't she?" Angel asked them.  
  
"I think she's getting there." Dawn told him. "She just needs some time. Why don't you go down and talk to her?" "Good idea, thanks." Angel said to her, reaching into the car to get Conner out.  
  
"Here." Cordelia held out her arms to take the baby.  
  
"He's coming with me." Angel told her. "I'm going to show him the beach for the first time, aren't I little guy, yeah." As Angel walked away from them, towards Buffy he was still talking to his son in baby talk.  
  
"Buffy!" Angel called out to her, waving with one arm.  
  
She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up. "I didn't know everyone else was here yet." She smiled. "Hey Conner."  
  
"Are you okay? Willow said you were a little quiet." He asked.  
  
"I'm okay. I don't get down here very often, and when I do, it's mostly work related." She shrugged, reaching out to take Conner. Angel slipped his arm around her bare middle, resting his hand on her hip.  
  
They walked like that for a few minutes before Buffy pulled away from him, carrying Conner into the water, which barely reached above her ankles. She leaned down, dipping his feet into the water, letting the baby kick his feet. He laughed and smiled. Finally, before he could get bored or frightened, Buffy straightened up and smiled at him.  
  
"He likes the water doesn't he." Angel said to her.  
  
"Most little kids do." She passed Conner back to him, letting Angel balance Conner on one side, before taking him by the hand.  
  
"I wonder what they're doing over there." Cordelia asked aloud.  
  
"You worry too much Princess." Lorne said to her, sunning himself on his towel, the same shade of green as his skin.  
  
"They're just talking." Dawn shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"You know," Buffy began, "I like your shirt."  
  
Angel flushed slightly, looking down at his blue Hawaiian style shirt. "I copped a lot of flak over it on the drive over here."  
  
"I think it looks nice." She smiled at him, while he looked her up and down, trying to find something to say about her clothing, a turquoise bikini and a pink sarong.  
  
"What's up you two?" Xander called.  
  
"Nothing." Angel answered him, sitting down on one of the towel that had been laid out. "We were just thinking about taking Conner in the water."  
  
"Are you sure that's safe?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"Yeah." Angel answered. "He likes it."  
  
"Can you swim?" She asked.  
  
"Yes I can swim." He answered patiently. "I have many times."  
  
Buffy took Conner from his arms. "Come on then." Then she looked up at everyone. "Is anyone else coming in?"  
  
"I'll come." Dawn answered.  
  
"No water fights." Buffy warned her as she raced Dawn down to the water's edge, deliberately kicking spray at her younger sister.  
  
"I'll give you no water fights!" Dawn called back, kicking water back at Buffy.  
  
Before long Angel, Gunn, Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara had joined in the water fight. 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Last part for Renewing Old Ties. Can't believe I've finally finished another one.  
  
Sorry about not updating earlier, but I went on vacation for five days.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Part 13.  
  
Finally, drenched and exhausted, everyone had thrown themselves onto the sand, allowing the sun's warmth to be absorbed into their skin.  
  
"I got you good." Angel teased Buffy, making a splashing motion with his hands.  
  
"I'll get you better." She shot back, reaching out to mess up his hair, still wet from the water.  
  
"That's not fair!" He exclaimed. "What if I did that to your hair?"  
  
"Then I'd be pulling Slayer moves on you wouldn't I?" She teased, laying across his bare stomach. He wrapped his arms around her. "You know that now we have to go back in the water."  
  
"Why?" She asked dreamily, lulled by the sun's warmth.  
  
"Because we have to get the sand off!" Angel exclaimed, getting to his feet and picking her up at the same time. She screamed as he carried her down to the water, dropping her when the water reached his waist.  
  
"That was not funny!" She stood gasping for breath, while Angel stood laughing.  
  
"I guess I got you back."  
  
Hair streaming down her back, completely drenched, a strange look passed over her face. Then. taking him by surprise she launched herself at him, and kissed him passionately, her arms wrapped around his neck, like she was never going to let go. Angel slid his hands down to her waist, steadying her.  
  
They remained that way until Buffy had to come up for air. "I've never loved you more that I do right now." She breathed.  
  
"I won't ever let you go again Buffy. I promise."  
  
For a second she rested her head against his chest, then both moved as on the sand, Conner began to cry. Both drenched, Buffy and Angel made their way up the beach, dripping trails of water as they went.  
  
"What's the matter little guy?" Angel asked his son, picking him up from Cordelia's arms.  
  
Buffy his cheek, and smiled as Conner began to coo and smile again. "He thought he was missing out on all the fun."  
  
"I think he just missed us." Angel slid one arm around her waist, and watched as what had been three shadows on the ground became one.  
  
"Us." Buffy echoed, cuddling into his chest, and stroking Conner's tiny face with her free hand. 


End file.
